Getting stronger at climbing...need advice!

[BikerJen]

Ok, so I am upset with my terrible climbing abilities. I'd like to get stronger on climbs especially for mountain bike racing. Need advice, strategies... Please share your past experiences. THANKS!!!!

[TriMom217]

I'm a crappy climber as well. The only advice I have is: climb more. I'll never be good so I just aim to be better than I was. Every time a hill seems a bit easier is a huge victory for me.

Good luck and keep climbing.

[mimitabby]

and for a while, just don't worry about how fast you're going, just try to climb long hard hills.

[Grog]

I find that a lot about climbing is technical, about handling your gears correctly to gain maximum momentum on the way down and maximum power on the way up. What combination is best really depends on the specific hill you're attempting to climb, so you need to practice, practice, practice. Sorry there's no other way.

[jobob]

Also, sometimes it's good to climb with people just a little stronger than you are, or are willing to adjust their pace so that they are going a bit faster than you would on your own, but don't leave you in the dust.

Climbs often seem go a bit easier - or at least seem get over with sooner - when you have someone to chat (or whine, or complain, or grunt) with.

[mimitabby]

yes, they are in front of you like a carrot on a stick. but it can (for me) be very discouraging, and i tend to overdo it trying to catch up to them. For me,
there's a fine line between riding my own ride and that initiative to push harder and do better.

all i can say is agree to do something you think is a bigger hill than you ever have done before; and DO IT.

[Mr. Bloom]

I find that a lot about climbing is technical, about handling your gears correctly to gain maximum momentum on the way down and maximum power on the way up. .

I agree wtih Grog, this is my biggest challenge. But beyond this, I do hills well....I suspect it's because I:

• did extensive elliptical training prior to cycling
• am very comfortable standing (which relies on the muscles that grew with my elliptical training)
• learned to enter tougher gears when standing and loosen up 2 to 3 gears when sitting

Practice, Practice, Practice

[AZSpinner]

I added weight lifiting (mainly leg press - I prefer multi-joint exercises so I can get my workouts finished more quickly ) squats and lunges (watch those knees to make sure they don't pitch too far forward ) and noticed a lot of improvement. I also have a trainer, so an occasional work out on that is: I pick a gear that allows me to go only 60-65 rpm and my goal is 20 minutes. I started with 5 minutes and worked up from there.

Good Luck! Looking forward to hearing about your successes!!

[DrBadger]

I agree with AZSpinner on the weight lifting and using the trainer.

The 2 things that have helped me the most with my climbing are spin class twice a week and adding some weight training. I don't really like working out in the weight room, and don't feel like I push myself as hard as I should, so I was going body pump, which is a group weight class with music and coreogrphed tracks. The thing about this class that really helped my climbing is that it focuses on muscle endurance, so relatively low weight with lots and lots of reps. I would suggest lots and lots of squats (done correctly!) with varying counts, i.e. some at 1 down 1 up, some with 2 counts down, 2 counts up, some with three counts down, 1 up, and some really slow (4 counts down, 4 counts up).

[rapid cycler]

I'm glad this thread got started; great advice so far, and it brings to mind a related question:

How many of you stand up off your saddle during climbs?

The couple of times I've tried it, it's felt more exhausting to me than remaining seated, but then again on Sunday I was passed by two different riders—one male, one female—both up out of their saddles, while ascending relatively shallow hills. (And they were both breathing a lot easier than I was!)

I'm guessing that getting out of the saddle is actually a bit more tiring in the short run but that you cash in on the long-term momentum gain? Any training techniques other than the obvious for the standing surge?

[DrBadger]

I'm glad this thread got started; great advice so far, and it brings to mind a related question:

How many of you stand up off your saddle during climbs?

The couple of times I've tried it, it's felt more exhausting to me than remaining seated, but then again on Sunday I was passed by two different riders—one male, one female—both up out of their saddles, while ascending relatively shallow hills. (And they were both breathing a lot easier than I was!)

I'm guessing that getting out of the saddle is actually a bit more tiring in the short run but that you cash in on the long-term momentum gain? Any training techniques other than the obvious for the standing surge?

Hey Rapid Cycler-
I used to not be able to stand at all climbing, spin class has really changed that! Part of it for me is just getting those standing muscles stronger as it does use different muscles than when you are seated.

I am guessing that the people that passed you were standing on the shallow hill because they were powering up without changing gears fro what they were using on the flats. I have started doing this some on the smaller hills on my rides. It is actually a lot of fun!

I still do most of my climbing sitting, but it is nice to be able to stand when the hill kicks up to a steeper gradient and I haven't shifted or I just want to power up a short hill while still in a harder gear.

As for training techniques... practice, and I really find that it is easier to learn on a spin bike, or a bike on a trainer. Also, you will find that if the gradient of the hill hasn't changed and you want to stand that you will probably have to shift up one or two gears (harder gears) since you will have gravity working on your side when you are standing.

[rapid cycler]

Badger, this is great. Thank you! An unspoken question in my post was whether or not practicing on a trainer, which is what I mostly ride during the week, would yield any real-world payoff. Thanks for your psychic answer!

Also, I guess I hadn't even considered that I should shift to harder gears first, but of course it makes perfect sense to me now!

[Jiffer]

How many of you stand up off your saddle during climbs?

The couple of times I've tried it, it's felt more exhausting to me than remaining seated

I was going to bring up this very thing. I'm still pretty new to cycling, but I have found I really like standing from time to time, though I'm still developing the muscles. I rode a tandem before I got my single. I remember the first time I stood on the tandem up a fairly minor incline (about 3 or 4 months ago) my muscles were killing me almost instantly. I couldn't do it for more than maybe 8 seconds or so. Since then, I got my single and have been standing more on that, developing those muscles some. Today, we rode the tandem and stood at about the same spot as we did the very first time we tried. When we sat back down I told Dh we were up like 10 times longer than the first time we ever tried it. At least it felt that way. We just kept going and going! I was so proud of us! (Especially me since it was never much of an issue for Dh).

Anyways, if you're not used to standing, it does take time to develop those muscles and, for me, the cardio, which it takes more of. I have tried powering up a hill standing, and then I'm so exhausted when I sit that don't have anything left to get up the rest of the way. So, I've actually been working some on just spinning in a consistent cadence and exercising my patience, in order to keep my heartrate reasonable and not kill my muscles too soon into the climb. But that's because I'm still working on developing both the cardio and standing muscles. I think both skills are good to have. I definitely like the feeling of powering up a hill without sheer exhaustion, which was most fun today on the tandem. We did it a few times.

On my single, I tend to work on my standing more at the bottom of a hill when I want to keep my momentum going, or when I want to sprint to make it through a green light, or just because I feel like sprinting, or maybe at the very beginning of a hill, but not let myself get too wasted before sitting down and spinning easier.

Dh said Lance Armstrong used to do a training ride where he'd do intervals with standing and sitting, progressively standing longer and longer. I haven't done a specific interval training ride yet because I'm still progressing simply by riding more and standing every now and then.

I also heard Floyd Landis say recently that the best way to get better at hills ... is to ride hills. Quite simply put.

[quint41]

Excellent thread, ladies!

Oh, and Mr. Silver.